![Dr Amy Irwin Dr Amy Irwin](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/psy530/picture.jpg)
MA, MPhil, PhD, FHEA
Senior Lecturer
- About
-
- Email Address
- a.irwin@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273003
- Office Address
School of Psychology William Guild Building Room T8 Kings College Old Aberdeen AB24 3FX
- School/Department
- School of Psychology
Qualifications
- PhD Psychology2008 - University of Nottingham
Internal Memberships
Research groups
- Lead of the Applied Psychology and Human Factors research group
- Lead of the Non-technical skills in agriculture research group
- Co-lead Qualitative research group
Internal groups / committees
- Psychology impact group.
- Education committee.
- Research steering group.
Administration / course co-ordination
- L4 Human Factors course co-ordinator
- Ondemand Human Factors in Industrial Practice course co-ordinator
- Ondemand Safety Critical Skills in Industry course co-ordinator
- Ondemand Organisational Culture and Conflict course co-ordinator
- Ondemand Organisational safety and risk co-ordinator.
- Psychology impact co-ordinator.
Latest Publications
Not all uncivil behaviours are equal: exploring responses to incivility in veterinary practice using vignettes
ErgonomicsContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://10.31219/osf.io/jfq7e
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2024.2343939
'Having a grand view of what the day entails’: a qualitative investigation of the non-technical skills utilised by Mountain Guides.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 43, 100688Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThinking five or six actions ahead: investigating the non-technical skills used with UK forestry chainsaw operations
Safety Science, vol. 163, 106112Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106112
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/20345/1/Irwin_etal_SS_Thinking_Five_Or_VoR.pdf
- [ONLINE] Link to pre-print
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The practice of online internships
The Routledge International Handbook of Work Integrated Learning. 3 edition. Routledge, pp. 271-280, 18 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersResponding to rudeness: does instigator status and directness matter?
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
Prizes and Awards
Winner Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research. 2021.
Nominated for Principal’s Prize for successful industry engagement. 2020.
Runner-up Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research. 2019.
Best thesis supervisor. University of Aberdeen Student-led Teaching Awards. 2016.
- Research
-
Research Overview
- The examination of Non-Technical Skills (teamwork, communication, situation awareness, cognitive readiness etc) and factors influencing non-technical skills (such as mission type, performance limitations, context etc) in industries including:
- Agriculture
- Aviation (helicopters, commercial and general aviation fixed-wing)
- Healthcare
- Forestry
- Fishing
- Mountain guiding
- The experience of rudeness and incivility at work including:
- The impact of status (both instigator and victim) on the perception of, and response to, incivility.
- The utility of different coping mechanisms to mitigate the impact of incivility.
- How context might influence the incivility experience.
- I am particularly interested in the impact of incivility in veterinary practice.
- Risk normalisation and cognitive bias in high-risk industrial and sport settings:
- Normalisation of deviance (shortcuts and workarounds) within the energy industry.
- Habituation to risk in extreme sport settings.
- Risk normalisation in high risk workplace settings e.g. farming, fishing.
Research Areas
Knowledge Exchange
Irwin, A., Perkins,J., Branigan,H.& Trevethan, C. (2022). Supporting student resilience is about moving from surviving to thriving. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/supporting-student-resilience-is-about-moving-from-surviving-to-thriving/
Irwin A. & Perkins, J. (2021). Are online internships the future of work experience, or just a pandemic remedy for student employability? https://wonkhe.com/blogs/are-online-internships-the-future-of-work-experience-or-just-a-pandemic-remedy-for-student-employability/Guest blog for the National Farmers Union (2020): https://www.nfus.org.uk/news/blog/farm-safety-week-guest-blog-dr-amy-irwin-ntsag-research-group-university-of-aberdeen
Article for Press & Journal discussing email communication (2020): https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/2239097/dr-amy-irwin-dr-alexandra-cleland-simple-steps-to-get-it-right-when-you-write/
Irwin, A. (2020). Tackling rudeness in Higher Education. WonkHE. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/tackling-rudeness-in-higher-education/
Appearance on BBC News Scotland, based on Landward episode (Nov, 2019). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-50318921
Appearance on Landward (Nov, 2019). https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b4gy
Article for Press & Journal discussing Applied Psychology (Oct, 2019): https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/1857252/dr-amy-irwin-moving-out-of-the-lab-and-into-the-real-world/
Irwin, A. & Trevethan, C. (Oct, 2019). Five ways rudeness can actually be a positive experience. The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/five-ways-rudeness-can-actually-be-a-positive-experience-125447
Irwin, A. & Lipan, G. (March, 2019). Students this is how you can stand out from the crowd in a very competitive job market. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/students-this-is-how-you-can-stand-out-from-the-crowd-in-a-very-competitive-job-market-112541
Irwin, A. (August, 2018). Does rudeness have a legitimate place in politics? The case for and against. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/does-rudeness-have-a-legitimate-place-in-politics-the-case-for-and-against-99420
Appearance on STV Aberdeen, North and Tayside (June, 2018). Financial pressure may lead to farmer risk taking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBj2s-FQdM&feature=share
Irwin, A. & Hamlet, O. (May, 2018). How situation awareness could save your life. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/how-situation-awareness-could-save-your-life-96032
Irwin, A. (April, 2018). Risky Business? Guest blog, Farm Safety Foundation. https://www.yellowwellies.org/risky-business/
Irwin, A. (March, 2018). That's just rude: Why being polite might not be a universal concept. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/thats-just-rude-why-being-polite-may-not-be-a-universal-concept-94187
Irwin, A. (October, 2017). Non-technical skills in farming. Guest blog, Farm Safety Foundation. https://www.yellowwellies.org/guest-blog-dr-amy-irwin-school-of-psychology-university-of-aberdeen/
Collaborations
Industrial collaborations (both current and past)
- Bristow helicopters
- CHC helicopters
- Forestry and Land Scotland
- Sodexo
- Farm Safety Foundation
- Creed consultancy
- Teagasc
- VetLed
- Mountain Assurance Ltd
- Being Human Consulting Ltd.
Academic collaborations (current and past)
- Dr Anita Weidmann (RGU)
- Dr Joy Perkins (CAD)
- Dr Ceri Trevethan (UoA)
- Dr Heather Branigan (UoA)
- Dr Oliver Hamlet (UoA)
- Dr Ruby Roberts (RGU)
- Prof Rhona Flin (UoA)
- Dr Doug Martin (UoA)
- Prof Amelia Hunt(UoA)
- Prof Liz Mossop (University of Lincoln)
- Dr Luiz Santos (University of Glasgow)
Supervision
My current supervision areas are: Psychology.
I am currently first supervisor on three PhD projects, and second supervisor on one further project. Current areas of PhD supervision include:
- Non-technical skills and factors influencing performance within forestry operations.
- The impact of culture (national and professional) variation in aviation
- Risk normalisation and cognitive bias in the energy industry
- Non-technical skills in the veterinary context
Funding and Grants
Research grants
- 2023 Trinity House maritime grant
- Safety at sea: exploring the safety critical skills used by commercial fishermen.
PhD Studentships
- 2024 ESRC SGSSS DTP Collaborative studentship award
- Is double checking twice as safe? Investigating peer checking with the nuclear industry.
- First supervisor (Second supervisor: Dr Oliver Hamlet, Third supervisor: Prof Amelia Hunt).
- 2021 ESRC SGSSS DTP Collaborative studentship award
- Staying safe in the forest: Evaluating forestry worker non-technical skills and associated influencing factors.
- First supervisor (second supervisor: Dr Ceri Trevethan, third supervisor: Prof Rhona Flin, industrial supervisor: Dr Jason Liggins)
- Student: Sofia Johansson
- 2020 Energy Institute PhD studentship award
- Combating bias on the frontline: Investigating cognitive bias and risk normalisation within the energy industry
- First supervisor (second supervisor: Dr Doug Martin, third supervisor: Dr Ruby Roberts)
- Student: Nejc Sedlar
- 2019 ESRC SGSSS DTP Collaborative Studentship award
- Considering culture in the cockpit: Cultural influences on crew resource management.
- First supervisor (second supervisor: Dr Devin Ray, third supervisor: Prof Rhona Flin)
- Student: Anna Kaminska
- 2017 ESRC SGSSS DTP Collaborative Studentship award (+3)
- Its all about the mission: An assessment of factors influencing non-technical skills in offshore and emergency helicopter teams.
- First supervisor (second supervisor: Prof Rhona Flin)
- Student: Oliver Hamlet
- 2016 ESRC SGSSS SDS Studentship award (1+3)
- Mind the gap: An investigation into the factors influencing student, academic and employer perceptions of required graduate attributes.
- Joint first supervisor with Dr Emily Nordmann (second supervisors: Dr Joy Perkins & Prof Louise Phillips)
- Student: Gabi Lipan
- 2014 ESRC SGSSS DTP Collaborative Studentship award (+3)
- Product Safety Culture: A new variant of safety culture
- Second supervisor (First supervisor: Prof Rhona Flin)
- Student: Lucia Suhanyiova
Impact Grants
- 2023 Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation grant:
- Lead applicant (industrial collaborator: VetLed, Post-doc: Ilinca-Ruxandra Tone).
- Funding to develop on incivility toolkit for veterinary practice.
- 2022 Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation grant
- Lead applicant (industrial collaborator: Forestry Land Scotland)
- Funding to develop a behavioural change technique toolkit for Forestry Land Scotland.
- 2022 Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation grant
- Co-applicant (Lead applicant: Prof Amelia Hunt)
- Funding to examine visual search patterns on helicopter landing approaches.
- 2021 Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation grant
- Lead applicant (co-investigator: Ilinca-Ruxandra Tone, Industrial collaborator: Kura Human Factors).
- Funding to develop CRM-style training for farmers.
- 2020 Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation grant
- Lead applicant (co-investigator: Oliver Hamlet)
- Funding to develop practical tools associated with non-technical skills in helicopter flight.
- 2019 REF 2021 Impact Support Award
- Lead investigator (Co-investigators: Oliver Hamlet, Ilinca Ruxandra-Tone, Gabi Lipan)
- Funding to produce a Farm Safety Roadshow, attend Human Factors events and support three student internships.
- 2018 ESRC Business Boost award
- Lead investigator (Co-investigators: Oliver Hamlet, Ilinca Ruxandra-Tone, Gabi Lipan)
- Funding to develop a website for the Applied Psychology and Human Factors group and produce three webinars.
- 2017 Impact, Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Award
- The Human Factor in Agriculture: Introducing non-technical skills (NTS) to UK Agriculture.
- Lead Investigator (Co-investigator: Dr Emily Nordmann)
- Funding provided to support NTS awareness event and the creation of a website
Teaching and Learning based grants
- 2022 Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme
- Steps to resilience
- Co-investigator (Lead investigator: Dr Ceri Treventhan, Co-investigators: Dr Joy Perkins, Dr Heather Branigan)
- 2021 Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme
- Building student resilience through course development - moving from surviving to thriving
- Lead investigator (Co-investigators: Dr Joy Perkins, Dr Heather Branigan, Dr Ceri Trevethan)
- 2017 Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme
- Telling tales: Using student narratives to aid transition
- Co-investigator (Primary investigator: Dr Emily Nordmann)
- Student: Aletta Boerkoel
- 2015 Curriculum Development Studentship, University Aberdeen
- Putting the 'I' in employability: Development of interactive class materials to enhance provision of L3 Psychology employability workshops
- Lead Investigator
- Student: Oliver Hamlet
- The examination of Non-Technical Skills (teamwork, communication, situation awareness, cognitive readiness etc) and factors influencing non-technical skills (such as mission type, performance limitations, context etc) in industries including:
- Teaching
-
Teaching Responsibilities
I teach on undergraduate, postgraduate and ondemand courses:
- Level 3: Psychological Assessment Tutorials
- Level 4: Human Factors
- Level 4: Thesis supervision
- MRes: Public engagement
- MRes: Thesis Supervision
- PhD Supervision
- Human Factors in Industrial Practice online course
- Safety Critical Skills in Industry online course
- Organisational Culture and Conflict online course
- Organisational Safety and Risk online course
- Publications
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Page 1 of 3 Results 1 to 25 of 56
Not all uncivil behaviours are equal: exploring responses to incivility in veterinary practice using vignettes
ErgonomicsContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://10.31219/osf.io/jfq7e
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2024.2343939
'Having a grand view of what the day entails’: a qualitative investigation of the non-technical skills utilised by Mountain Guides.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 43, 100688Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThinking five or six actions ahead: investigating the non-technical skills used with UK forestry chainsaw operations
Safety Science, vol. 163, 106112Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106112
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/20345/1/Irwin_etal_SS_Thinking_Five_Or_VoR.pdf
- [ONLINE] Link to pre-print
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The practice of online internships
The Routledge International Handbook of Work Integrated Learning. 3 edition. Routledge, pp. 271-280, 18 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersResponding to rudeness: does instigator status and directness matter?
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsA Qualitative Systematic Review on the Application of the Normalisation of Deviance Phenomenon Within High-Risk Industries
Journal of Safety Research, vol. 84, pp. 290-305Contributions to Journals: Review articlesDeveloping a prototype behavioural marker system for farmer non-technical skills (FLINTS)
Journal of Agromedicine, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 199-207Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe development of the Helicopter Non-Technical Skills (HeliNOTS) behavioural marker systems
Ergonomics, vol. 66, no. 12, pp. 2232-2241Contributions to Journals: ArticlesConsequences and coping: Investigating client, co-worker and senior colleague incivility within veterinary practice
Veterinary Record, vol. 191, no. 7, e2030Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.2030
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/19307/1/Irwin_etal_VR_Consequences_and_Coping_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] Pre-print
Managing client complaints: identifying and mitigating their detrimental impacts on veterinary practitioners
Veterinary Record, vol. 191, no. 4, pp. 157-159Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.2152
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Is the future of internships online? An examination of stakeholder attitudes towards online internships
Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 629-644Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-05-2021-0102
- [ONLINE] Link to pre-print
No-one else wears one: Exploring farmer attitudes towards All-Terrain Vehicle helmets using the COM-B model
Journal of Safety Research, vol. 81, pp. 123-133Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://psyarxiv.com/3478v/
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2022.02.004
- [ONLINE] Link to published article
Ruminating on rudeness: Exploring the experience of client incivility in veterinary practice
Veterinary Record, vol. 190, no. 4, e1078Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1078
Watch Out for the Bull! Farmer Risk Perception and Decision-Making in Livestock Handling Scenarios
Journal of Agromedicine, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 259-271Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSafety in the Field: Assessing the Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Situation Awareness in Irish and British Farmers
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsPilot is a Pilot is a Pilot?: Exploration of Effects of Professional Culture in Helicopter Pilots
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74608-7_83
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] AAM in RGU Repository
Location! Location. Location? Investigating the impact of status and context on incivility in academia
Journal of Further and Higher Education., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 30-48Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1702930
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Product safety culture: a preliminary study in the UK manufacturing industry
Journal of Risk Research, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 1030-1048Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2020.1805637
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Is it all about the mission? Comparing non-technical skills across offshore transport and search and rescue helicopter pilots
The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology, vol. 30, no. 3-4, pp. 215-235Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24721840.2020.1803746
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Flying solo: A vignette based examination of general aviation pilot risk perception and decision-making
Aviation Psychology and Human Factors, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 59-69Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://psyarxiv.com/7buv4/
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1027/2192-0923/a000189
Part and parcel: A Qualitative Interview Study Examining the Experience of Client Rudeness by Mental Health Workers
Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 122-131Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2019.1644567
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
'No-one knows where you are’: Veterinary perceptions regarding safety and risk when alone and on-call
Veterinary Record, vol. 185, no. 23, 728Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105639
Stakeholder perception of student employability: does the duration, type and location of work experience matter?
Higher Education, vol. 78, no. 5, pp. 761-781Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00369-5
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Five ways rudeness can actually be a positive experience
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesInvestigation of UK Farmer Risk Perception and Non-Technical Skills
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings